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Monday, 6 September 2010

My Kitchen Lab

In between my bread baking frenzy, I was pretty much involved in conducting experiments with chiffon cakes. It is a cinch to make a chiffon cake...everything can be done within 30mins, and that includes cleaning up. Unlike bread making, even if I ended up with a flat layer of foam board, I don't have to nurse my sore arms and shoulders for the next few days.

Chemistry happens to be my worst subject in school. Many a times, my experiments were not able to yield the desired outcome, even though I followed the steps closely. It is also not uncommon for me to break a test-tube or two, or destroy the test samples. Most of the time I ended up copying the test results from my friends (^^')

So, it is not a surprise when I failed miserably on my first attempted to make a matcha cranberries (my short-cut version of adzuki beans) chiffon. With the newly acquired knowledge that matcha powder tends to absorb moisture from batter (bakes made with matcha powder tends to be on the dry side), I added one extra tablespoon of water into the yolk batter. This small amount caused the batter to become so thin and runny that I had problem folding in the whites. It didn’t help that I beat the whites to stiff peaks, ie when the paddle of my handheld mixer was lifted up the peaks were pointing 90 degree upwards. Naturally, I deflated most of the whites, and the final batter was so thin that it only filled 50-60% of the tube pan. The cake did rise all the way to the brim during baking, but after it was cooled, it shrank at least an inch below the rim. The cake, although edible, didn’t taste good as I have added too much matcha powder, and I have to conclude that cranberries and matcha don't really go well hand in hand :(

Lessons learned: do not play around with the ingredient amount especially when you are making delicate cakes like a chiffon; when forcing a marriage between two different ingredients do not expect a fairy tale ending.

My second experiment with a nutella version needs further ‘analysis’, and probably requires another follow-up experiment before I could draw any meaningful conclusion :_(

My third experiment with a banana chiffon cake was a great success. Well, it is actually not an experiment since I followed the ingredient amount to a T. The only difference is the way I prepared the batter. I did not follow the instructions as stated in the cookbook. This time, I stick to my usual way of making a chiffon…steps that I am already familiar with. For example, the recipe recommends using a mixer to beat the yolks, I choose to do it with my manual whisk. It also recommends beating the whites before the yolks. This is something I won’t follow as I find it troublesome having to whisk the whites again just before mixing it into the yolk batter. Or rather, I worry I would over beat the whites. I didn't even heed the advice of using fresh eggs, even though I have learned that fresher eggs will produce meringue which is more stable. I left it to the cornstarch to work its wonders to stablise the egg whites.

Although the instruction says to beat the whites till stiff, I make it a point to stop whisking once it has reached the soft peak stage. The peaks curl and droop over when the paddle was lifted up. This really makes the folding later much easier. The only problem I faced was, I couldn’t tell whether those tiny lumps in the batter were the whites or were they the tiny chunks of banana (^^”)

The final batter was quite thick and it filled up 80% of the pan. The cake expanded quite nicely during baking, although I wished the batter could climb higher. It didn’t shrink much upon cooling and I was quite satisfied with the height of the cake.

This chiffon cake passed my taste test with flying colours. Besides being so light and tender, it was super moist! I must thank the person who first started baking with bananas! I attribute the flavourful and moist texture of this cake to the sweet, over-ripped bananas. Allow me to exaggerate…it was almost like eating a slice of ‘cloud’. I have bookmarked another 3 recipes from this book (戚风蛋糕秘法传授) and I can’t wait to try them, hopefully my next baking experiment will be as successful as this one. Wish me luck ☺

Place egg yolks, water, vegetable oil, vanilla extract (if using) and mashed banana in a mixing bowl. With a manual hand whisk, whisk the mixture to combine. Sieve over the cake flour and whisk till the flour is fully incorporated and the mixture becomes smooth and sticky. Add the diced bananas and mix to combine.

In a clean, dry mixing bowl, beat egg whites with an electric mixer on low speed until mixture becomes frothy and foamy. Turn to high speed and gradually beat in the sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, add in the corn flour together with the last tablespoon of sugar. Beat until the egg whites reaches the soft peak stage.The soft peak stage is reached when the peaks of the whites curl over and droop slightly. The egg whites should appear smooth and glossy. (Do not over beat the whites still stiff, it is better to beat the whites still soft peaks for easy folding with the yolk batter.)

Add the beaten egg white into the egg yolk batter in 3 separate additions, each time folding gently with a spatula until just blended.

Pour batter into a 17cm tube pan (do not grease the pan). Tap the pan lightly on a table top to get rid of any trapped air bubbles in the batter.

Bake in pre-heated oven at 160 degC for 35 mins, (for 20cm pan bake for 50 mins) or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. (When lightly pressed the cake will spring back). Remove from the oven and drop the pan at a height of 20~30cm onto a table top. This action helps to keep the springy texture of the cake when it is left to cool.

Invert the pan immediately and let cool completely before unmould. To remove the cake from the pan, run a thin-bladed knife around the inside of the pan and the center core. Release the cake and run the knife along the base of the pan to remove the cake.

69 comments:

HHB, you are tempting me again with chiffon again :P. I baked once using orange chiffon recipe from 戚风蛋糕秘法传授 but instead of using orange, I changed to lemon. Failed again, I guess I better dun be k kiang, next time must follow the recipe exactly. Wish me luck too!

"Remove from the oven and drop the pan at a height of 20~30cm onto a table top. This action helps to keep the springy texture of the cake when it is left to cool. " Thanks for sharing this tip, I normally invert the cake immediately (worry that the cake will sink if I delay for one second, hahaha).

May I know rougly how many eggs are used in the recipe?

Btw, I also post a banana chiffon cake today but mine is with crack top :( and I also nearly damaged the cake due ot my lousy unmoulding skill.

Cook.Bake.Love, I read that the purpose is to get rid of the hot air quickly so that the bake will not collapse or shrink too much. 110g egg whites is about 3 whites, and 40g yolks is about 2.5 yolks (from large eggs). I once under baked a chiffon cake, and I had problem unmolding and almost damaged it too ;p

I really learn a lot about chiffon in your post, next time I will try to add in corn flour to stabilize the egg whites, instead of using tartar powder. By the way, your chiffon looks yummy, will try this recipe :)

Gee, that's really nice, HHB! I always wonder how you can unmould the chiffon cake so prettily. I usually have my "browns" stuck to the pan. Haiz. This is another successful experiment! Well done. I think in future, I'll just follow what you bake, then it'll save me the time and effort to think of what to bake. Heehee... Okay with you? :P

i like your never give up attitude! would like to check with you on storage of baking chocolate. just bought a bar of Hershey's semi sweet baking chocolate, going to try out the chocolate oatmeal cookies tomorrow. wondering how you store your baking chocolate, can share your tip?thksoctopusmum

Min, it is not necessary to use cream of tar tar, even without using corn starch. The important thing is to note when to add the sugar when beating the whites. Do not add in right from the start, and only add in a little at a time.

Bee Bee, nah, I still do not know exactly when to stop beating the whites!

Vivienne, I think maybe you didn't beat the whites enough? or you could deflate it upon folding. Do give it a try again, I am sure your next attempt will be ok :)

Blessed Homebaker, thanks!

ReeseKitchen, and cleaning up is quite easy as the batter is not very oily ;)

Jane, I use a thin-bladed knife to unmold, no secrets to it, and I could do it easily. Just that I make sure the knife is sliding against the pan and not against the cake. I think maybe it is the type of pan that I am using? I will feel very honoured if you were to follow what I bake. I just hope they won't disappoint you as one man's meat is another man's poison ;)

WOW! You've been through many experiments! Again, your persistence very impress me. I've been using this recipe for my chiffon all this while and really fall in love with it because it produce moist, super soft and light chiffon. One of my favorite recipe is this banana chiffon, very yummy indeed!

Hi HHB, what is the reason for using COLD egg whites instead of room temperature egg whites? Do the egg yolks also have to be cold? Can i use plain flour instead of cake flour? Thks alot for helping :)

Octopusmum, if you are using it the next day, you can always leave it under room temperature. By right, chocolates should be stored in a cool dry place under room temperature. However, because of our weather, chocolates tend to soften too much that I can't chopped it. So I usually put it in the fridge to chill before using.

The author suggests using fresh eggs to make chiffon cakes. Egg whites from older eggs is thinner and will whip up more easily to give a larger volume. However, the beaten egg whites will be less stable compared to fresher eggs. Fresher eggs will give more stability but slightly less volume.

Room temperature whites will beat up faster, but has a slightly less stable foam. Cold whites will beat up more slowly, with slightly less volume, but creates a more stable foam. Fresh egg whites is thicker and more 'sticky', so you need to chill it well before beating. This way, the beaten egg whites will not deflate easily.

So using Fresh and Cold whites will give a more stable foam which is essential for baking a chiffon cake.

As for egg yolks, just like in other cakes and bakes, you need to use room temperature yolks for it to emulsify.

I will recommend that you use cake flour, as it will give a better result. If you do not intend to buy cake flour, you can check the various baking sites to see how to substitute it with plain flour, usually with the addition of some corn flour. Hope this helps.

Hi octopusmum, you can keep it in the fridge (not the freezer), however, do note that as with all chocolates that are stored in fridge, the chocolate will bloom, the white layer of coating/white spots, it is harmless and will disappear as soon as it is melted.

Hi Wong, thanks for trying this out. I am glad to hear that you like this recipe as much as I do. Do you find this cake very very moist? I don't know whether it is because of the less amount of flour used or is it because of the banana? Anyway, this cake tastes even better the next day.

I follow the exact ingredient amount from the cookbook, two sets of measurements are provided. Maybe you can do a double portion base on the 17cm pan? But I still think it is better to stick to the recipe and the recommended pan size.

thks! btw, ntuc is slashing the prices of many baking ingredients eg the baking chocolate and chocolate chips, lurpak butter (but still more ex than sun lik) because of hari raya. it is a good time to stock up.regards octopusmum

I admire your persistence in learning HHB and detailed analysis. I find all your chiffon beautifully baked and your skills in unmoulding it so neatly.Most of the time i use banana puree, i think it will be nice with the dice banana. Looking forward for more chiffon posts :)

The only time I experimented with chiffon cakes was making a chocolate flavoured one using melted chocolate. The egg yolk batter turned out so thick and sticky and I thought it was going to be a failure for sure. It turned out fine surprisingly, but was on the dry side though.

Sounds like you gained quite alot of insight from your chiffon cake experiments. To date, I have not tried using cold egg whites. After reading your post, I learnt something new - cold egg whites will work as well.

sometimes, I dont follow exactly the method in recipes too. My baking instincts come into play in such situations, haha

btw, do you have the book or it is borrowed from the library? I can't seem to find Japanese bake books around.. Kino would be my last resort.

Now I learn two things from this post .. I can use cornstarch instead of buying a new bottle of cream of tartar ... and I can try out banana chiffon ... besides these, I will be waiting for the nutella chiffon. :-)

I'm so glad I found your blog. I enjoy baking too and love the recipes you've put up. Reading your About Me page was like reading about myself...can't imagine you took all these lovely photos with a point and shoot camera?! I've just started blogging myself and this is an inspiration!

I had baked this cake last weekend but its collapsed immediately once i overturn the tube pan and the bottom of the cake is very dense.Can advise where i had gone wrong. But the taste of the cake is very nice.

Hi hhb, i hv baked this banana chiffon n e result is gd :). I used e recipe to bake a cheese chiffon n it has turned out nicely as well. I used 90g cream cheese & 50g shredded cheddar instead of banana, and used 30g milk instead of water.

Dear Happy Home Baking,My last attempt to bake a chiffon cake was disasterous (it sunk continuously, resulting to be half the size from what it was expected to be), and since then I have been a bit hesitant to give it another go. However so, after I have read this particular recipe of yours, I simply couldn't resist. Just a small bit of advice(to prevent history from repeating itself): How can I ensure that the cake doesn't sink (too badly) during the latter half of it's baking?

Hi Anonymous, I am really no expert in baking chiffon cakes, but from what I have read, in order to prevent the cake from sinking, the beating of the egg whites; folding of the whites to the yolks and the correct/stable oven temperature (do not open the oven door during baking) are factors to look out for. Did you beat the whites to the correct stage? Take care not to deflate the batter when folding in, and do use an oven temperature to check that the oven is preheated to the correct temperature. Hope this helps, and good luck :)

The cake was very moist, soft and tender. I made the larger size and thought it needed a little more sugar and something else. I don't think I could taste the banana as much. It smelled really good and I expected more of a banana taste. Thank you for recipe! I think my parents will like it because it's not too sweet.

Hi HHB, when you say cake flour is it the same as self rising flour?I tried baking chiffon cake (other recipe) it rise very nicely but shrink during cooling. The side fall off from the mold but the cake stayed at its bottom. Do you know what could be the problem?

I tried the recipe this morning and everything turned out well until I inverted the pan, the entire cake fell off from the pan. It was disasterous :(I'm not sure what went wrong, could it be that I use self raising flour?

Hi, I am not sure what went wrong, but I don't think it is because of the self raising flour. Did you grease the chiffon pan? or did you use a non-stick pan? If not, did you beat the whites to the correct stage, if it is not beaten to the correct stage, it may not be able to hold the cake upon cooling.

I loved your recipe. My first attempt to make Orange Chiffon Cake using your "Lemon Chiffon Cake recipe" result was good.. The only thing that discourage me is the cake sink very fast after is out from Oven. My 2nd attempt is on Banana Chiffon Cake. This time i used a bigger tin for it to bake.. everything seems so good in the over however once i removed from the oven to cool, things happened again :( (cake sink again and the bottom of my banana chiffon cake not cook). I didnt not invert the baking tin after removing my cake from the oven and both cake are in the oven for 45min.

I need your advise 1) how do I prevent my cake from sinking? 2) will it affects the cake by poking using stick to make sure the cake is cook?

Hi, there are several possible causes...first, did you use a chiffon tube pan? Invert the cake the moment you remove it from the oven, the cake will sink if it is not inverted as it isso light that it cannot support its own structure. Do get an oven thermometer if you don't have one (I got mine from Phoon Huat, $12+). Make sure the oven is preheated, turn on at least 15mins before you put in the cake. I suspect your oven temp was not correct, that was why the bottom was not cooked. Make sure you position the pan so that it is in the middle of the oven, that is, equal space on top and bottom to ensure even baking. Do not open the oven door during baking. It will cause the temp to drop. This will cause the cake to sink. Only check when the baking time it up, visual first. In doubt, don't open the oven, it is better to risk over baking by a few mins than to under-bake the chiffon. I usually don't check the doneness of my chiffon cake with a skewer, since I only have toothpicks which is too short. As long as the cake surface is evenly browned, temp remains constant throughout the baking, my 18cm cake takes 30-35mins at 180degC to cook thru, so far no wet bottoms, touch wood ;)If you have done the above, then it could be the beating of the whites. Make sure the whites are beaten to the correct stage, and when folding the whites to the yolk mixture, make sure you don't deflate the batter. The finished batter should be thick and has volume, when poured into the pan, it would flow like 'lava', forming 'layers' and "trails'..., you need to shake/tap the pan a little in order to smoothen the top. If the batter is thin and runny, then, you could have deflated the batter. The above is based on my own experience, I may not be right as everything is self taught and I have not attended any baking class. Hope you understand...

Thanks for your advised and is very clear. Yes, I used chiffon tube pan however I didnt invert the pan, guess that might be the reason for sinking as I had followed the way u had indicated in the instruction for egg white n the batter end result Is the same as what u had explained. Thanks and I will try again using your explanation way. Looking forward my end product to be the same like ur uploaded chiffon cake photo.. High, soft, light n nice :)

I just baked my first chiffon cake using your banana chiffon cake recipe, and it didn't turn out so good. Can I have your advice on what went wrong?

The cake had a lot of cracks on the top, is rather dense, shrink greatly after cooling and didn't spring back when I touch it lightly. All the diced bananas also sinked to the bottom, is this normal? I diced into about 1cm by 1cm..did I do it correctly?

I also had to use a normal 7" round cake tin as I don't have a chiffon tube pan (For the ingredients, I used measurements for 8" tube pan). I baked for 35min, but the skewer didn't came out clean so I baked for another 5 min. When I checked again, the skewer still doesn't come out clean so I baked again for 5 min. Total I baked for 45min at 160 degrees but I took it out of the oven to check twice. I am using a normal convention oven (the type where the tray will rotate and there's fan inside).

I think something went wrong early on, coz' my final batter doesn't flow like 'lava'. But I am not sure what went wrong :(

So sorry for the lengthy comment, I'm very new to baking so hope to have your advice on this. Thanks! :)

Hi Belle, I think there are 3 main reasons...(a) baking pan u used; (b) beating of the egg whites; (c) folding the whites to the yolk batter.

(a) you need to use a chiffon tube pan in order to get the best result. The tube/hole allows even heating. if you use a normal round pan, you won't be able to get the texture of a chiffon cake, the cake will still be good (if the batter is prepared correctly) but it won't rise as tall and the texture will be more like a sponge cake.

(b) beating of the egg whites is the first step towards success. did you manage to beat the whites till the right stage? almost close to stiff peak, the whites will curl and droop over. This requires experience in judging...practise a few times and I am sure you will get the hang of it. You may also google for video demo on how to beat egg whites.

(c) you didn't mention how you beat the whites, assuming you did it correctly, then it could be due to the folding. you could have deflated the whites. The finished batter should be thick and flow like lava...when u pour it into the baking pan, it should flow like lava leaving behind a thick ribbon like 'trail'...disappear only after a couple of seconds. and u need to tap the pan on the table to smooth out the batter on top. If you batter is very thin and runny, then very likely you have deflated the batter. Also, the finished batter should fill up to at least 80% of your pan.

I am not too sure about the diced banana at the bottom, I suspect it was the result of the batter not prepared correctly.

Hope this helps and l look forward to hearing good news on your next attempt :)